Brando's costly custody battle

April 17 2003

A $US100 million ($A163.53 million) lawsuit brought against movie legend
Marlon Brando by his former maid and mother of three of his children will be
dismissed, lawyers said today.

Attorneys for both the Oscar-winning
screen icon and Hollywood recluse and for his ex-housekeeper Maria Cristina
Ruiz, 44, told a Los Angeles judge that a request would be made to dismiss the
civil suit during an upcoming hearing over the custody of the couple's children.

However, it was unclear if the pair had reached a settlement in the
one-year-old breach of contract lawsuit. Brando was not in court for the
hearing.

Ruiz sued the star of The Godfather, On the
Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire last April, claiming she
had a 13-year relationship with him and gave birth to children who are aged
14,†11 and 9.

She alleged that the 79-year-old star had "promised
to take care of her and their children until the relationship ended, then to
"divide equally any income and property acquired" during the relationship.

According to papers filed with Los Angeles Superior Court, she "devoted
all aspects of her life to Brando's needs, the interests of their children,
(and) his personal interests and well-being, to the exclusion of her own."

Ruiz's lawyer Donald Woldman said the pairing, that lasted
from†1988 to 2001, was "just like a marriage, except without the ring."

But Ruiz, who wore a black, hooded sweater in court, claims Brando
covered her living expenses until the end of 2001, then dropped her from his
life altogether.

She was seeking $US100 million ($A163.53 million) in
damages and an order requiring the two-time Academy Award winner to pay "a
reasonable sum" in maintenance each month.